When we become a Christian, a disciple of Jesus, we join a life of faith that is active and purposeful. The Bible teaches that much of what shapes our lives happens in a spiritual realm we cannot see, where there is both God’s power and spiritual opposition at work.

We are essentially joining a spiritual army that’s in the middle of an active war. This war is fought primarily in the unseen world through battles with the rulers, authorities, and armies of spiritual darkness. At times, we see the effects of this struggle play out in the world around us (Ephesians 6:12).

Our role in God’s army is becoming like Jesus and advancing the Kingdom of God by making disciples of Jesus. Satan works to attempt to defeat us by keeping us weak and ineffective at carrying out our role in this war. God gives us many tools to equip us to effectively carry out our assigned role. One of those tools is fasting.

As Paul said in 1 Cor 9:25-27, we need to do what’s required to make sure we’re prepared to perform in the battle. He goes so far as to say, “…I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave…” The Greek word for “strike a blow” can also mean “pummel.” The use of these words shows that this is serious business. It’s so serious that Paul refers several times to disciples of Jesus as “soldiers” (Philippians 2:25, 2 Timothy 2:3-4, Philemon 2).

Jesus provides us with an excellent example of how to view and use fasting. Jesus was led into the wilderness by the Holy Spirit. Once there, in order to strengthen and prepare Himself for the upcoming battle of temptation with Satan, Jesus embarked on a fast for 40 days and nights (Matthew 4:1-11, Mark 1:12-13, Luke 4:1-13). That’s right, Jesus did not eat any food for 40 days and nights. It should come as no surprise to you that fasting caused Him to be hungry — just like we would be (Matthew 4:2).

Yes, fasting from food can be hard. Fasting from food can be uncomfortable. Fasting from food can be challenging (speaking from personal experience). When I was in the Navy I don’t recall any of my Navy trainers being concerned with my comfort or what I wanted. No, they were concerned about making sure I was prepared and capable of carrying out my duties in high-stress wartime situations. The training was difficult, uncomfortable, and stressful for a reason. Through the training, I was equipped to perform in difficult, uncomfortable, and stressful situations.

Why? Because my comfort and desires were not the objective of the training. The object of the training was to prepare me to do my job, to complete the mission once I got to my submarine.

Fasting isn’t about your comfort or what you want. It’s about strengthening you physically and spiritually to do your job in the spiritual war (Ephesians 6:12). It’s about disciplining (pummeling) your body to make it a slave so when following Jesus gets tough, you are prepared to do your job no matter how challenging the situation.

When I feel the hunger pangs, I say to myself, “Now I’m getting somewhere. This is preparing me physically and spiritually to stand strong and do my job in the spiritual battle. This is developing me to be more like Jesus.”

It’s normal to be nervous, but I encourage you to give it a try through these 21 days of fasting.